phone hacking

American  

noun

1. an act or instance of gaining access to a phone's voicemail, email, text messages, etc., without authorization from the phone's owner.

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Other Word Forms

• phone hacker
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of phone hacking

First recorded in 1980–85

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

phone hacking

Judge Matthew Nicklin dismissed claims that reporters and investigators working for the Daily Mail had engaged in phone hacking and unlawful information gathering, in a ruling by the High Court Tuesday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

Last year, on the eve of another scheduled trial, Rupert Murdoch's UK tabloid publisher NGN agreed to pay him "substantial damages" for privacy breaches, including phone hacking.

From Barron's ● Jan. 21, 2026

Two UK tabloids accused of phone hacking and other "unlawful information gathering" against Prince Harry and six high-profile figures insisted Tuesday they had relied on "legitimate" sources for their stories.

From Barron's ● Jan. 20, 2026

Several years later, investigative reporter Nick Davies published an article on phone hacking, which is the illegal accessing of voicemails.

From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2025

The nascent electrical engineers responsible for building and maintaining this system saw their activity as similar in spirit to phone hacking.

From Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software by Sam Williams

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